Lucid Dreaming
by Icy Irises
Summary: For a moment, he became entranced by her eyes - darker than the shade they usually were because of her desire, they bore into his, still pleading helplessly for something he was afraid to give...
1. Sweet Dreams

The princess looked on at her hero, who lay in her bed, covered to the middle of his chest with her silk coverlet which was the color of spring lavender. Rising from her sitting place, she advanced gracefully to the four-poster bed and parted the sheer white canopy curtains with great care – as if they were beautiful, silken spiderwebs that would unravel at her very softest touch.

She touched his forehead, only to draw back her hand slowly; a slight layer of cold sweat had formed there. What pervaded his dreams this night? After the horrific battle, her hero had been cleaned, medicated, and – once returned to the kingdom – dressed in fine silken sleeping clothes. Finally, he was promptly sent to her bed. Yes, he was very well taken care of now. But that did not mean he was mentally stable. He stirred, a worried frown forming upon his brows – if only very slightly. Even in sleep, he looked fatigued and tortured.

Drawing the curtains to a close behind her without a sound, the princess gently folded back the coverlet so as to not disturb the hero's already fitful sleep. She slipped into bed beside him. The pillows fell back to her liking as she moved to a sitting position and carefully placed the warrior's head to her chest, stroking his hair and murmuring calming words into his ear, hoping he would hear them even in his mind's darkest visions. His tensions decreased after a while and she would doze off staring into his peaceful face – lips slightly parted, long eyelashes pressed closed, slight blush and ruffled hair. Did everyone look so much younger whilst asleep? She smiled softly at the thought before unconsciousness swept over her, as well.

Once the afternoon light was streaming through her stained glass window and was being diluted by the white sheer of her bed curtains, the princess slowly slipped from the gentle caresses of sleep only to gasp quietly in surprise at the scene before her. Link, as he was known, no longer rested his head upon the princess' bosom but instead had wrapped his arms around her middle and buried his face into the soft flesh of her stomach. She felt the warmth of his cheek and couldn't help but think how much younger he acted as well. For he could have been that of a small child, snuggled into her torso with a contented, sleepy grin. Zelda – as _she _was known – couldn't resist giving a soft smile of her own as she reached to stroke his hair, tousling it gently.

Quite a few hours had passed before he began to ascend into wakefulness, but not before experiencing one last, terrifying nightmare; endlessly he ran from none other than himself, who waved a blade threateningly and screamed the word 'justice'. Justice or not, the only thing that Link could see in the eyes of himself was the ferocity of a bloodthirsty monster. Just as he reached that realization within his dream – the realization that a monster is exactly what he was, no matter who he would kill and for what purpose – his cerulean eyes were focusing on a chip in the wood of the farthest left poster of Princess Zelda's bed.

Princess Zelda's bed...

He looked upwards, only to be met with the most beautiful vision; he had to shake his head softly and make sure he wasn't still asleep. Her blonde locks tumbled over her shoulders in tight, curled waves and her rosy mouth was slightly parted in an eternal, incipient statement that would not come to pass until her time to wake. Link struggled to resist lunging up and coaxing her from sleep with his lips. Wrapping his arms tighter around her, he breathed in her scent and took in the beauty of her chambers – so heavenly and graceful.

He wanted to stay forever, to lay here and grapple with his ever-growing passion towards the princess that lay vulnerable in his arms. And, oh, how vulnerable she was – ever refusing of marriage proposals or thoughts of courtship from faraway princes or nobles. But here she lay, in his arms, as if by some miracle. And they were still only good friends. If she lay fitted to him this way only by the bonds of friendship, what would the bonds of courtship bring? He tried to keep his thoughts pure but the sinful ones raced through his mind before them, inciting a shiver to rack down the hero's shoulders. He lowered his lips to her neck. Sighed.

She'd healed him and given him her bed, and all he was able to do was act as if he were bordering the age of fourteen, not twenty-one. There was no helping it, though; it happened all the time. This was a common occurrence. Any closeness between them – any strong enough to share each other's body heat – always made something primal stir within him that both frightened and amazed him. He was a gentleman, a very chivalrous man, but was this his true nature? He didn't want it to be so.

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_Should it continue? If it does, the rating will change. Review, please._


	2. Waking Dreams

_Thank you for the reviews. Also, anything underlined will be explained at the end of the chapter - please know that the underlining is not for added emphasis on statements or words. Thank you.  
_

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Eventually, his princess was awake as well – Link did not wake her; he didn't have the heart to interrupt her peaceful slumber. They talked nonchalantly after she opened her window to let in the afternoon's warm, fresh air. It was a beautiful day; there had been a soft snowfall the night before and lately, the first signs of spring were beginning to descend upon Hyrule. The snowmelt made the grass appear very lush and green and beautiful, and the snow that remained looked soft and fluffy in its little white piles. The sky was a delicate blue, still mixed with the pearly sky of winter but receiving its spring-like undertones of cerulean. It would be a good year.

"How I would like to go for a carriage ride..." Princess Zelda intoned, gazing wistfully beyond her window. She turned back to Link and smiled sweetly. "Are these the days you would normally be riding with Epona?" Link nodded, returning her soft gaze with one of his own.  
"Mm. It seems like a nice day for it. Though, I like riding in the rain, too," He added. "It feels... cleansing."  
His closest comrade frowned gently, obviously taking the deeper meaning of his response about the rain. A few more moments passed before she tentatively ventured out onto already thin ice. He'd never been angry or resentful towards her, but she was able to sense that this was a fairly sore subject... and a significant show of trust. Link was not the kind to wear his heart on his sleeve, save for moments that called for a show of emotional abandon. She knew this, so she would tread lightly.

"...Please, don't feel guilty, hero. You've only done what was best for your home, the country... _and my kingdom_." The princess offered the same advice he'd heard from any other friend he had confided in. But she wasn't any other friend; she was Zelda. Secretly, she was_ his_ Zelda. And though he may have just accepted that advice from others, he delved deeper with her. Because she trusted him. And he trusted _her_. More than anyone he'd ever known.  
"I understand, but wasn't _he_ doing what _he_ believed was best for his country, princess? Isn't _everyone_?" Link turned to her, fiercely. She watched the sapphire fires smolder within his eyes and was filled with what was an inexplicable sense of longing. He looked down, frowning deeply. "Excuse me," He murmured, gaze softening. "I didn't intend to raise my voice that way..."

Princess Zelda almost flinched. Oh, how respectful he tried to be, truly! Even when only last evening he'd almost been brought in on his shield - he'd refused to sleep in her bed for fear of dirtying it or being improper! She could sense something between them; she held the Triforce of Wisdom, she was not a fool and she was not one who fell victim to girlish romanticism - unless girlish romanticism was called for, and it should be, if only he would stop worrying about his personal code of chivalry and do something!

All of these thoughts swelled within her and she could do nothing save for laying a tentative, trembling hand upon his shoulder. Link grew thoughtful after a moment and looked back at her through his feathery blonde hair, which fell over his eyes. His expression was unable to be read, which confused her.  
"How do you stand it? Managing an entire country while still finding time to hear me talk nonsense?" She wasn't sure how to react until he smiled lightly, and even _then _she didn't know, because it did not reach his eyes. In a surprising breach of his usual behavior, he sighed gently and positioned himself back into a laying position, settling his head upon her lap. Zelda's eyebrows raised as if on their own, and he caught it immediately, being the observant man he was (he had to be; one with a dull mind would go mad in the temples he had bested). He raised quickly and began to apologize, but she quieted him gently and cradled him against her.

"I do not know how I manage the kingdom - I suppose my advisors really do most of the work - I only finalize certain things - but I do know this, Link: I will never be too preoccupied to listen to you." She whispered this softly into Link's ear and even though what she spoke was innocent and kind-hearted, her warm breath sent several small shivers down his spine. After a moment, he felt his cheeks burn with what had to be a very noticeable flush, but with difficulty he ignored it and wrapped his arms around her, pulling himself closer. He buried his face into the crook of her neck and held it there, knowing that his tension would be something she noticed, but he cared not. He would never admit it to anyone, but it was his favorite place to come into contact with, her neck; the softness of her skin and her warmth - coupled with the faint scent of her perfume - made it so. He took in what must have been a somewhat shaky breath. Always, _always _he had to twist an innocent situation into something he thought sensual. He almost growled in shame.

And Princess Zelda - this is exactly what she'd been thinking of. That tiny breach in his chivalry - here it was, but she'd never imagined it to be so _powerful_. His person radiated an exceptionally intense longing, but it wasn't necessary to read his aura to see that her hero was struggling hard with internal conflicts - many of them being self-induced. Link's politeness and modesty had its advantages, but his flaws - many of them very human, and expected - weighed far too heavily upon his mind. Her hero was, essentially, much too self-critical. To err was human, but he hadn't allowed himself even that. And when she realized this, Princess Zelda knew just how much strain Link had put himself under. Now she knew why it was that he'd judged himself poorly, even for ridding the world of evil's very core. And now she understood to an exponentially higher extent as to exactly why he'd placed himself just beyond his own reach of her. He was afraid. He was afraid to let himself down, others down... _herself _down. The young girl had to hold back from crying out and throwing her arms around his neck. Goddesses, what a horrid thing to hang yourself from - crimes you haven't committed, nor have even come close to committing!

Again, he was floundering - flailing in his own desires, which were far from modest at the moment. Link had to disguise his breath from becoming too deep, for she would realize the fact that he was trying desperately to take in her scent. Always, it faded; it didn't matter for how long he held his breath, or how deeply he filled his chest - she always faded from him. And that's how it was in every way, he realized: be it her scent or her very being. Princess Zelda never stayed within his grasp. He had to... to... to keep her there, close, against him, bonded to him. The Triforce wasn't enough - it bonded them, but only enough for her to talk to him from afar. If that was the only thing he would use to keep her attached to him, she would someday be telling him of her June wedding while he ran around vengefully striking cuccoos in Termina. What an idiot he was, letting himself swing by a thread to the thing he should be gripping at with both hands and white knuckles - and it was her! The revelation and the thoughts of his own stupidity crashed through his mind, and his vision hazed in a strange moment of complete and utter loss of control; he took her into a crushing embrace, promptly latching his mouth against the point of her pulse.

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**"...brought in on his shield..."** - _I read somewhere of a certain country or city that, when their warriors or soldiers died as a casualty of war, the general would take them to their home as they rested upon their shield. I thought this was an idea very fitting of the way Hyrule seems to function (with honor as a fairly sizable virtue) so I used it. Link was on the verge of dying, so he was almost brought in on his shield._

**"If that was the only thing he would use to keep her attached to him, she would someday be telling him of her June wedding while he ran around vengefully striking cuccoos in Termina." **- _I thought the phrasing of this was slightly confusing, so I'll explain. Link is basically thinking that, if he never voices his true feelings for Zelda, the only way he would be bonded to her would be by the Triforce, which allows her to talk to him from far away. That would be an inadequate bond, because it's no more of a bond than giving someone who lives states away your phone number, then talking to them once every few weeks (modern example, to make it clearer). So basically, without a strong bond, Zelda would use that little thread of a communication to someday tell him that she was getting married while he was off somewhere far away, like Termina. Link would be so angry at himself that he would start striking out at the nearest cucco, as if in some way it was the cucco's fault._

_Now, there will be another chapter. Don't worry. Next chapter should be the finish, and it should also be a lemon. If, even after that, enough of you think it should continue, I may make it into a story of some kind. _

_Thank you, and please review._


	3. Lucid Dreaming

_Who was this man? _Princess Zelda closed her eyes while tangling her right hand into his golden hair. He was a seasoned warrior. A soldier. She hadn't thought of him that way, though; she hadn't thought of him as she would a strange man encountered on the street. Why would she? He wasn't a stranger. He was her knight, her hero, her gallant and modest Link. She knew him well. So, why did she feel as if the man so invitingly trailing his lips over her neck was someone she had never met? The princess knew the answer to her own question almost immediately: she hadn't. She had never been exposed to this man - the impulsive, insecure man that pent up his feelings and desires. He bit her neck and she jumped lightly, withdrawn from her reverie. His warm breath fell in short, open-mouthed pants on her jawline. Willing him to continue, she leaned her head back slowly, resting it against his forearm and letting out a far from steady breath.

Immediately, before his teeth ever grazed her skin, Link knew he had done something he shouldn't have. He trembled at the thought of what his punishment could be... or was he shivering because of her? He didn't know. He felt her hands run through his hair and grip it gently, felt her lean her head back to give him room. He didn't even care - not now. He only prayed that her door had remained locked from yesterday evening when she'd taken him into her chambers. He carefully lowered her to her bed, situating her body so that she rested more comfortably, shifting her head so that it was on her pillow. Her cheeks were stained a dark shade of pink. Link sighed and ran a distressed hand through the fringe of his hair. Should he continue? Most definitely not, he thought lamely - he could be in copious amounts of trouble even now, and he'd only run his teeth over her neck. He stared down at her coverlet in fervent thought, debating with himself. He was gently retrieved from his thoughts when Zelda's hand raised to the collar of his shirt, threading the fabric between her fingers and pulling twice, softly. His gaze flicked to her face, only to find that she was pleading to him silently with her eyes - for him to stop? For him to resume? He frowned. Leaning forward, he retrieved her hand and took it in his own.  
_"What is it,"_ He whispered gently, soothingly into her ear, which had inherited the flush from her face. _"What ails you...?" _She whimpered quietly and placed her other arm around his neck, pulling him in and pressing her lips to his.

She trembled, and for reasons unknown to Link, it only urged him on harder. It lasted until they were panting, having exhausted their breath; and when they regained it, they began again. It reached the point where it seemed both of them ran a fever - Link was slightly dizzy, his judgement clouded by her hot breath landing sensuously against his neck. Finally, the kneeling position he was leaning forward from became too uncomfortable; his back was beginning to ache from the poor posture. Distributing his weight so that he would not bear down upon her too heavily, he perched over her. For a moment, he became entranced by her eyes - darker than the shade they usually were because of her desire, they bore into his, still pleading helplessly for something he was afraid to give... Link clenched his teeth and closed his eyes, growling internally. Stupid, stupid, _stupid!_ How _dare _you lead her into something you cannot possibly hope to finish! Despite himself, he couldn't resist leaning back down and harshly latching his mouth to the base of her neck, where her shoulder began. He reveled in her reactions - her little whimpers, her shivers, the shudders that would rack through her body as if she were dying of cold. It was all too much, yet it couldn't be farther from enough.

Their clothes had found their way to the floor after what could have been an hour or so; by now, they were tangled under the princess's silken coverlet, which was beginning to become damp from the thin sheet of perspiration that had formed over them. Nothing was secret anymore, Zelda thought hazily as she felt his slightly calloused hands rush over her. Fervently, he trailed kisses almost everywhere, and she reciprocated them as best she could. The feeling of his closeness, his bare back smooth under her hands, his cheek pressed against her neck as he took her - no, as she gave - she was hypersensitive to it all. And it wasn't something done out of a thoughtless, animal instinct; they both wanted it, this she knew. It happened very quickly, yes, but it happened just the same - they ventured into territory that only those who are the very closest may venture into. But isn't that what they were? They both meant so very much to the other; Zelda knew deep within her heart that she would die for him, just as Link would for her.

Long before the white pallor of moonlight descended into Princess Zelda's chambers, she and Link had finished. After they had dressed and talked softly amongst themselves for a short time, they had nestled back down into the pillows and sheets of her four-poster bed, soon after falling into an exhausted sleep. Every so often, Link would be shocked awake; Zelda would sleepily ask him _"whatever is the matter?"_ and he would describe some new nightmare to her. Telling him not to be afraid and that it was over for now, she'd press close to him again and he would doze back to sleep, coaxed out of his fear by her warmth.

_'For now...'_ he thought drowsily, settling his arms around _his_ princess once more. _'For now.'_

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_I don't think I'll make this into a story; I don't want to become lazy and have it unfinished, so it'll stay as it is now.  
Please review, and thank you for reading!_


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